Breakdown of Le douanier trouve un produit illégal et ne le laisse pas passer.
un
a / an (masculine)
et
and
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
trouver
to find
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
passer
to pass by / go past
le produit
the product
laisser
to leave (something or someone)
le douanier
the customs officer
illégal
illegal
Questions & Answers about Le douanier trouve un produit illégal et ne le laisse pas passer.
Why is the pronoun le placed before laisse instead of before passer?
When you use laisser followed by an infinitive (like passer), standard French grammar treats them as a tightly connected pair. Similar to the verb faire, the direct object pronoun is placed before the conjugated verb (laisse), not before the infinitive.
How does the negation ne ... pas work with this laisser + infinitive structure?
The negative words ne and pas go around the conjugated verb and any pronouns attached to it. Here, they wrap around le laisse, giving us ne le laisse pas. The infinitive passer stays entirely outside of this negative sandwich.
What exactly does le refer to in ne le laisse pas passer?
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